What is net run rate in cricket and how is it calculated?
NET RUN RATE has become the preferred method for breaking ties in one-day tournaments in cricket but can be confusing to understand.
England vs Australia has become the fourth match to be abandoned in the T20 World Cup, with net run rate now playing its part.
The statistical method of net run rate is often compared with goal difference in football as the calculations take place to decide winners in matches that cannot be completed.
We have you covered when it comes to all the details about the method that will be used.
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What is net run rate in cricket and how is it calculated?
Net run rate is the statistical method used to decide the outcome of matches which have been washed off.
The net run rate in a single game is the average runs per over that the team scores, minus the average runs per over that is scored against them.
This can also be calculated for a tournament total, as was done for South Africa in 1999.
A positive net run rate would mean that a team is scoring faster than the opposition, while a negative one would mean that they are scoring slower than their opponent, so a higher net run rate is desirable and will be used to calculate the winner.
In the event of a team being all out in less than its full quota of overs, the calculation of the net run rate of both teams is then based on the full quota of overs to which the batting team would have been entitled to and not on the number of overs in which the team was dismissed.
However, there has been criticism for the method as it measures how quickly teams score and concede runs but not how big a margin of victory or defeat are as it ignores wickets lost.
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When has net run rate been used in the past?
Net run rate was first used in the 1992 edition of the Cricket World Cup and has been used often since.
In the 1999 World Cup, South Africa's net run rate was calculated as their average run rate was 4.263 and average run rate against was 3.404.
This meant that their final tournament net run rate was +0.859, a positive.